June 2005 WDW Bits and Bites

Feature Article

This article appeared in the
May 31, 2005, Issue #297 of ALL EARS®
(ISSN: 1533-0753)

Ever wonder what Walt Disney World was like way back when? We
went to Lou Mongello, author of the "Walt Disney World Trivia
Book: Secrets, History&Fun Facts Behind the Magic," to help us
out for this edition of Step Back in Time. This month, Lou takes
us back on a trip through the history of Treasure Island, a.k.a.
Discovery Island a.k.a. Riles Island a.k.a. Blackbeard's Island
a.k.a ...

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... oh, sorry wrong
story...

Well, a long time ago, in a swampland in central Florida, there
sat, well, swampland. But in the middle of that great, murky muck
sat a large island. Legend around these parts states that it was
this island that solidified the location for Walt Disney's
secret new theme park project.

The story goes that as Walt Disney was flying over the land he
was interested in purchasing (reported to be on November 22,
1963, around the time that President John F. Kennedy had been
shot), it was the sight of this island in the center of Bay Lake
that convinced him this was the ideal place to build.

Currently known as "Discovery Island," it shares that moniker
with its "distant cousin" in Disney's Animal Kingdom. However,
this Discovery Island is not man-made, and has a long history
that predates the arrival of Disney.

From the early 1900s, it was known as Raz Island, named after
the family who lived there. In the late 1930s, it was purchased
for $800 by a man named Delmar "Radio Nick" Nicholson, who
renamed the island "Idle Bay Isle" and lived there for 20 years
with his wife and pet crane. It was later purchased, renamed
"Riles Island," and used as a hunting retreat long before being
bought by Disney (under a fake name, of course) in 1965.

Disney originally planned to add a pirate "theme" to the island
and call it "Blackbeard's Island," but that name was discarded,
and was eventually changed to "Treasure Island." (However, the
Blackbeard Island name was recycled and given to one of the
three man-made islands of the Seven Seas Lagoon).

Although the name of this new island attraction was changed to
"Treasure Island," the original concept for a pirate-themed
adventure would remain, as it would take elements from the 1950
Disney film of the same name. A unique diversion from the theme
park attractions, the island was planned to be a retreat for
exploration and relaxation, with wrecks of pirate ships, "Ben
Gunn's Fort," the "Benbow Inn," and lakes and waterfalls to
enjoy.

In 1974, however, plans to add a wide variety of tropical birds
to the island emerged, thereby putting the pirate theme on hold.
In order to accommodate the more than 600 feathered friends that
were going to take up residence here, more than 50,000 cubic
yards of soil and 500,000 tons of boulders were brought onto the
island, increasing the size of the island to almost 11.5 acres,
as well as a variety of flowers and trees from around the world.
New, man-made bodies of water were created, and the one time
flat, scrub brush filled island was transformed into a tropical
paradise...

Want to read more on this little piece of real estate's storied
past? You'll find the rest of Lou's article here:
http://allears.net/tp/di.htm

With the kick-off of the 18-month Happiest Celebration on Earth
proclaiming the 50th anniversary of Disneyland in California,
Souven-EAR Shopper Linda Mac noted a lot of related merchandise
popping up around the Walt Disney World shops. Although we
usually try to find out-of-the-ordinary items for our
Souven-EARS featurette, we thought this month we'd give you a
run-down of the typical anniversary memorabilia you'll find to
take home to friends and loved ones.

To be sure, there are commemorative mugs ($12.95), pins ($6.50
and up), ornaments ($12 and up), photo frames and albums ($6 to
$32), and snowglobes (from miniatures at $12.95, up to full-size
musical globes that light up for $95). They all bear variations
of the HCOE logo, which prominently features the famous
Disneyland castle image and Mickey Mouse with a baton (obviously
leading everyone in the Mickey Mouse March!). Apparel galore
includes caps and visors (starting at $16) and waist packs
($16). And what would a Disney celebration be without t-shirts
of every size and color to mark the occasion? Beyond all the
ordinary t-shirts, there are some standout designs, particularly
the black-sleeved "Golden Celebration" tee, with a gorgeous,
dreamy water color version of the pink and gold Sleeping Beauty
castle poster ($25).

In addition to apparel, you'll find inexpensive memorabilia for
all kinds of collectors, notably collectible spoons ($9), key
rings ($7), and six-character pen sets ($11). The plush-lovers
aren't neglected, either, with special, formally dressed
editions of Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald and Goofy available in
a wide price range. Of course there are the Golden Mouse Ears
($9.95) we mentioned a few weeks ago. And don't miss their
antenna ball counterparts -- cute black Mickey antenna toppers
($4) sporting their own set of glittery golden Mouse Ears!

There's an assortment of sports balls, tinged with gold accents
-- the blue-and-gold mini soccer ball and football are $9 each.
There are even Happiest Celebration golf balls ($3.50)!

If you're looking for something a little more unusual, though,
there are a few items we found that fit the bill -- if you don't
mind opening your wallet a little wider. One item in particular
that caught our eye is the "Golden Edition" playset. This isn't
just for the kids, believe us -- complete with sounds and
lights, the playset features Disneyland's gilded Sleeping Beauty
Castle, and comes with 10 character figures: Mickey, Minnie,
Donald, Goofy, Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, Princess
Aurora, Prince Phillip and Maleficent. There are also
accessories like a sword and shield, thrones, flags, and banquet
table. One other thing the playset comes with -- a hefty price
tag. It's $70! There's also a stunning "Golden Edition" Walt
Disney Railroad set, which comes with a shiny gilded engine and
three cars, along with conductor Mickey and figures of Donald
and Goofy for $75.

For nostalgia buffs, there's a special Disneyland Monorail Game
($15) in a box that's designed to look straight out of the '50s.

And finally, our favorite HCOE item so far, the "Then and Now"
Barbie doll. Not only does she feature a complete outfit from
the original Mickey Mouse Club, she comes with another that
dresses her as a more modern Mouseketeer -- she's a bargain at
just $28.

ALL EARS® Editor-in-Chief Deb Wills is on the Disney Cruise
Line's inaugural West Coast Cruise this week, with the Magic
stopping at ports of call like Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San
Lucas. Have you been reading Deb's daily reports? Yesterday, she
shared her schedule:

Navigator Series
1 p.m. - The Making of Disney Magic
2:45 p.m. - Art of the Theme Show Tour

Behind the Scenes
11 a.m. - Don Ducky Williams, senior character artist for
Disney, will be giving a talk.

There is also another Park West Art Auction, the Mickey 200
race, a Beer Tasting, Bingo, a Wine Tasting, Learn Latin Dancing
and much more on the schedule...

Tomorrow we get to our first stop at Puerto Vallarta... It's a
huge excursion day! Linda and Sharon of my travel party are
doing the canopy excursion (zip lines through the rainforest). I
am doing the Rainforest by Horseback! Look for reports tomorrow
evening... It's been a wonderful cruise and I'm so glad to be
here. I keep meeting folks and everyone is great! If you are on
board and see me, please say hello!

A few weeks ago, we mentioned that Disneyland's 50th anniversary
had inspired special desserts, many of them with the "Happiest
Celebration on Earth" logo in an edible form, all around Walt
Disney World. Here are just some of the specialties you'll
encounter -- have fun discovering even more at many other
eateries, both in the parks and at the resort hotels:

Magic Kingdom:Cinderella's Royal Table -- The Royal Engagement
(a chocolate slipper filled with rich chocolate mousse, served
on a pillow of angel food cake and a fresh fruit compote); For
children: Royal Crown Sundae (two scoops of vanilla ice cream,
drizzled with chocolate syrup and Mickey sprinkles and topped
with a chocolate crown).

Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival is winding down, and
concludes on June 5, 2005. The Flower Power concerts remaining
are: Felix Cavaliere's Rascals: May 31 - June 1, and Arlo
Guthrie: June 2-5.
http://www.allears.net/tp/ep/flogar.htm

Star Wars Weekends continue through the weekend of June 10-12.
This weekend actor Warwick Davis (Wicket the Ewok) and Don Bies
(Unit Supervisor/R2-D2 Operator, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge
of the Sith) will be on hand for meet-and-greet sessions and
Hollywood-style motorcades in the Disney-MGM Studios. For
details visit: http://allears.net/tp/mgm/m_starwars.htm

The National Kidney Foundation of Florida will host the Gift of
Life 5K Race for Organ & Tissue Donation Awareness at Epcot on
Saturday, June 11. Starting outside Epcot at 7 a.m., racers will
loop around the park as they discover Future World, run past
Spaceship Earth and explore the 11 nations of World Showcase
before exiting the park for the finish line. A special Kids'
Race starts immediately following the 5K. For more information
visit: http://disneyworldsports.com

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Rehabs and Closures:

The south garden wing of the Contemporary Resort began a long
rehab, starting on May 30. It will continue until October 31,
2005.

The Magnolia Golf Course is closed now until September 10, 2005.
Work on the course will include resurfacing greens,
laser-leveling tees, extending tee boxes and building new tee
boxes, all in preparation of the FUNAI Classic to be held in
October.

Jana in Illinois: My magical moment started with a hot and tired
7-year-old. My husband and my two girls were waiting for me at
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as I got a Fastpass for the Jungle
Cruise. As they stood there, the Cast Member asked my 7-year-old
if she was having fun. Well, I guess the hot weather and crowds
had gotten to her and she just kind of shrugged her shoulders.
The Cast Member reached into her pocket and pulled out
Fastpasses for the Railroad and said, "Here, maybe this will
help." We were able to walk right on to the ride! As we came
out, I took the girls over to the Cast Member to get a picture
and thank her for making us smile, and as she posed for a
picture, she gave us four more Fastpasses for Splash Mountain!
Wow!

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Justin: I'm 15 and I just got back from a trip to Disney World.
I had a really Magical Moment on Saturday, May 7, at Mama
Melrose's in the Studios. When I went to trade a pin with the
manager, Shawn, I realized that my favorite pin had fallen off
of my lanyard. Well, I got to my table and Shawn came up to me
and said that he wanted to know what the pin looked like so he
could look around outside. He asked me if I bought it or traded
it and I said that I traded it. A few minutes later he came back
in to my table and gave me a 4-pack of pins and said that he
couldn't find the pin I lost so I could have these to trade! I
think that that, right there, is the Magic of Disney World.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Diane Kuppel: My husband and I, along with my daughter and
granddaughter, enjoyed a wonderful vacation to Disney. We were
enjoying some delicious food at the food court, located in the
Pop Century when, as we were eating, an employee came over and
asked if my granddaughter (Lily) wanted to be "chef for the
day." We were waiting to see what this was about, as Disney
NEVER leaves anything out! Out rolled a cart with a Mickey
brownie and many toppings. Lily had fun putting the toppings on
the brownie, and most of all enjoyed eating her creation. Also,
the chef, manager, and other employees came out to watch -- and
topped it off by giving her a chef hat, picture and a magic
moment certificate. Not only was that day magical, but each
minute spent in Disney is magic for us. You never know when you
will be surprised with YOUR SPECIAL MAGIC MOMENT!

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Cathy Koncurat: On the Saturday after Thanksgiving 2004, we got
to Animal Kingdom right before opening, along with a LOT of
other people. To avoid the hordes pouring into the safari, we
decided to grab a Fastpass and take the Pangani Forest Trail
first. As we were starting down the trail, I said good morning
to a Cast Member and asked her what was the best part of the
trail. She replied, "The gorillas, but they're sleeping. We need
a family to wake them up -- can you help us out?" She took us
backwards down the trail to the glassed in gorilla viewing area,
gave my 8-year-old her walkie talkie, and instructed her to ask
another Cast Member to "release the gorillas." The gorillas were
released right in front of us, my daughter was THRILLED, and we
got at least 15 minutes of private viewing before any other
guests showed up.

Each month in our WDW Bits and Bites issue we share subscribers'
Magical Moments stories. Send your story to allearsnet@yahoo.com

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Editor's Note: This story/information was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to
confirm all current rates, information and other details before planning your trip.